Typing of Verotoxins by DNA Colony Hybridization with Poly- and Oligonucleotide Probes,a Bead-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay,and Polymerase Chain Reaction

To identify the type of Verotoxins (VT) produced by Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), a sensitive bead-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction with common and specific primers to various VTs (VT1, VT2, VT2vha, VT2vhb, and VT2vp1) were developed. Together with colony hybridization tests with oligo- and polynucleotide probes, these methods were applied to VTEC isolates to type the VT produced. The toxin types of 26 of 37 strains were identified, but the reaction profiles in assays of the remaining 11 strains suggested the existence of new VT2 variants. The application of these identification procedures may be useful as a tool for clinical and epidemiological studies of VTEC infection.     

Stabilization of waste-activated sludge through the anoxic-aerobic digestion process

During the aerobic digestion process, the nitrogen which had been embedded in the activated sludge is solubilized to form ammoniacal and nitric nitrogen which are in turn transferred to the liquor and cause the increase of nitrogen loading in the sewage treatment plant. In this study, the anoxic-aerobic sludge digestion system which is a modified form of the conventional aerobic sludge digestion is made up of aerobic and anoxic tanks and are designed to remove both the volatile suspended solids and the total nitrogen (TN) simultaneously. The removal efficiencies of both VSS and TN were investigated by feeding waste-activated sludge continuously and semicontinuously. The maximum percent reduction of both VSS and TN was achieved at a Q(r)/Q(s) ratio of 2 in the continuous process. The semicontinuous process was used to improve the nitrogen removal efficiency further. In the semicontinuous process, the VSS reduction efficiency as well as the nitrogen removal efficiency increased remarkably under a constant Q(r)/Q(s) ratio of 2. This process also achieved a VSS reduction efficiency higher than the aerobic digestion process (control). It was suggested that the additional anoxic tank enhanced the sludge digestion. Furthermore, the anoxic-aerobic digestion system can be applied to other treatment media like the primary sludge, industrial sludge, animal manure, etc.     

Evidence for insertion sequence-mediated spread of the thermostable direct hemolysin gene among Vibrio species.

The tdh gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus which encodes the thermostable direct hemolysin has been found in some strains of other Vibrio species. Analysis of seven tdh genes cloned from V. parahaemolyticus, Vibrio mimicus, and non-O1 Vibrio cholerae revealed that all tdh genes were flanked by insertion sequence-like elements (collectively named ISVs) or related sequences derived from genetic rearrangement of ISVs. The ISVs possessed 18-bp terminal inverted repeats highly homologous to those of IS903 (2- to 4-bp mismatch) and were 881 to 1,058 bp long with less than 33.6% sequence divergence. These features and nucleotide sequence similarities among ISVs and IS903 (overall homologies between ISVs and IS903, ca. 50%) strongly suggest that they were derived from a common ancestral sequence. A family of ISVs were widely distributed in Vibrio species, often regardless of the possession of the tdh genes, and one to several copies of the ISVs per organism were detected. A strain of V. mimicus possessed two copies of the ISVs flanking the tdh gene and three copies unrelated to the tdh gene. However, the transposition activity of the ISVs could not be demonstrated, probably because they had suffered from base changes and insertions and deletions within the transposase gene. The possible mode of ISV-mediated spread of the tdh gene is discussed from an evolutionary standpoint.     

Purification and some properties of riboflavin synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 8005.

A riboflavin synthetase was purified 51-fold from a thermophilic organism, Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 8005, that grew at 40 to 72 degrees C. Some of the properties of the enzyme are: (i) its temperature optimum was 95 degrees C, and the activity was negligible below 40 degrees C; (ii) the Arrhenius plot of the initial reaction rates was concave upward, with a break at 65 degrees C, and the apparent activation energies below and above 65 degrees C were 4.2 X 10(4) and 6.7 X 10(4) J/mol, respectively; (iii) the enzyme was fairly stable up to 60 degrees C without 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine; this substance protected the enzyme from inactivation above 60 to 97 degrees C; (iv) the pH range for stability was 6.0 to 10.0 at 26 degrees C and 6.3 to 7.6 at 55 degrees C; (v) the enzyme was highly resistant at 26 degrees C to denaturation in 8 M urea, but the tolerance was extremely low at 55 degrees C; (vi) its molecular weight was estimated at 45,000; (vii) the Km for 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine was 23 micrometer at 55 degrees C and 29 micrometer at 75 degrees C; (viii) its pH optimum was 6.7 to 7.2; (ix) 6-methyl-7-hydroxy-8-ribityllumazine was a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 0.18 micrometer); (x) the activity was sensitive to heavy-metal ions and thiol reagents; (xi) the enzyme did not require cofactor or a carbon donor; and (xii) the molar ratio of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine consumption to riboflavin formation was 2 throughout the entire reaction. Properties i through vi distinguish this enzyme from riboflavin synthetases purified by other investigators from mesophilic organisms, Ashbya gossypii, Eremothecium ashbyii, Escherichia coli, yeast, and spinach.     

Partial purification of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate phosphodiesterases from rat pancreas in the presence of excess protease inhibitors.

(i) Three forms of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases (3′,5′-cyclic AMP 5′-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17), F1, F2-I and F2-II, were partially purified from the soluble fraction of rat pancreas in the presence of excess protease inhibitors by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography and gel filtration and were characterized. (ii) F2-II, which was purified 31-fold, exhibited a single peak of activity on both polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. The enzyme had a molecular weight of about 70,000, an isoelectric point of 3.9, and an optimal pH around 8.5 and required Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺ but not Ca²⁺ for activity. The K_m values of this enzyme for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP were 1 and 50 μm, respectively, while V values of this enzyme for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP were 36.1 and 12.6 nmol min^?1 (mg of protein)^?1, respectively. Cyclic GMP competitively inhibited hydrolysis of cyclic AMP by this enzyme. Ro20-1724 [4-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-imidazolidinone] also inhibited hydrolysis of cyclic AMP competitively, with a K_i value of 1 μm. (iii) Fraction F1, which was purified 10-fold, had a molecular weight of more than 500,000 and required Mg²⁺ for activity. Its K_m values for cyclic AMP were 1 and 5 μm. Its K_m value for cyclic GMP was 45 μm. Fraction F2-I, which was purified 26-fold, had a molecular weight of about 70,000. The ratio of the initial velocity of hydrolysis of cyclic GMP to that of cyclic AMP was 0.5 at a substrate concentration of 1 μm.     

2-Bromoadenosine-Substituted 2′,5′-Oligoadenylates Modulate Binding and Activation Abilities of Human Recombinant RNase L

Abstract

2-Bromoadenosine-substituted analogues of 2–5A, p5′A2′p-5′A2′p5′(br²A), p5′(br²A)2′p5′A2′p5′A, and p5′(br²A)2′p5′(br²A)2′p-S′(br²A), were prepared via a modification of a lead ion-catalyzed ligation reaction and were subsequently converted into the corresponding 5′-triphosphates. Both binding and activation of human recombinant RNase L by various 2-bromoadenosine-substituted 2–5A analogues were examined. Among the 2-bromoadenosine-substituted 2–5A analogues, the analogue with 2-bromoadenosine residing in the 2′-terminal position, p5′A2′p5′A2′p-5′(br²A), showed the strongest binding affinity and was as effective as 2–5A itself as an activator of RNase L. The CD spectrum of p5′A2′p-5′A2′p5′(br²A) was superimposable on that of p5′A2′p5′A2′p5′A, indicative of an anti orientation about the base-glycoside bonds as in naturally occurring 2–5A.     

Investigation of telomere length dynamics in induced pluripotent stem cells using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization

Here we attempted to clarify telomere metabolism in parental cells and their derived clonal human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) at different passages using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (Q-FISH). Our methodology involved estimation of the individual telomere lengths of chromosomal arms in individual cells within each clone in relation to telomere fluorescence units (TFUs) determined by Q-FISH. TFUs were very variable within the same metaphase spread and within the same cell. TFUs of the established iPSCs derived from human amnion (hAM933 iPSCs), expressed as mean values of the median TFUs of 20 karyotypes, were significantly longer than those of the parental cells, although the telomere extension rates varied quite significantly among the clones. Twenty metaphase spreads from hAM933 iPSCs demonstrated no chromosomal instability. The iPSCs established from fetal lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) did not exhibit telomere shortening and chromosomal instability as the number of passages increased. However, the telomeres of other iPSCs derived from MRC-5 became shorter as the number of passages increased, and one (5%) of 20 metaphase spreads showed chromosomal abnormalities including X trisomy at an early stage and all 20 showed abnormalities including X and 12 trisomies at the late stage.     

Production of a biologically active epidermal growth factor fusion protein with high collagen affinity

Collagen is generally incapable of capturing polypeptides such as growth factors in a specific manner. In this study, we established a collagen-binding growth factor (FNCBD-EGF) consisting of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the fibronectin collagen-binding domain. A typical yield of FNCBD-EGF was approximately 200 microg/ml culture in an Escherichia coli expression system. This fusion protein bound to gelatin and fibrillar collagen sponges, and the bound protein was not effectively eluted even with 2 M NaCl. In addition, FNCBD-EGF bound to type I, II, III, or IV collagen-coated plates, and the specificity of binding was confirmed by competitive inhibition using fibronectin. FNCBD-EGF substantially stimulated cell growth after binding to collagen-coated culture plates, whereas EGF had no effect, indicating that this fusion protein acted as a collagen-associated growth factor. In an animal model of impaired wound healing, FNCBD-EGF, but not EGF, was retained with collagen sponges at wound sites 4 d after implantation, and repair of epidermis was observed underneath the sponges. These results suggested that our fusion protein with high collagen affinity would be useful for wound healing.     

Identification of two novel mutations in adenine phosphoribosyltransferase gene in patients with 2,8-dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis

Five mutations in the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene have been described in Japanese patients with APRT deficiency. We investigated the APRT gene from three patients with APRT deficiency and two novel mutations, G133D and V84M, were determined.     

Microbial populations stimulated for hexavalent uranium reduction in uranium mine sediment

Uranium-contaminated sediment and water collected from an inactive uranium mine were incubated anaerobically with organic substrates. Stimulated microbial populations removed U almost entirely from solution within 1 month. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis showed that U(VI) was reduced to U(IV) during the incubation. Observations by transmission electron microscopy, selected area diffraction pattern analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis showed two distinct types of prokaryotic cells that precipitated only a U(IV) mineral uraninite (UO(2)) or both uraninite and metal sulfides. Prokaryotic cells associated with uraninite and metal sulfides were inferred to be sulfate-reducing bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA obtained from the original and incubated sediments revealed that microbial populations were changed from microaerophilic Proteobacteria to anaerobic low-G+C gram-positive sporeforming bacteria by the incubation. Forty-two out of 94 clones from the incubated sediment were related to sulfate-reducing Desulfosporosinus spp., and 23 were related to fermentative Clostridium spp. The results suggest that, if in situ bioremediation were attempted in the uranium mine ponds, Desulfosporosinus spp. would be a major contributor to U(VI) and sulfate reduction and Clostridium spp. to U(VI) reduction.